Conil: Strange Part Of The Country
Friday, 25 Apr 2008 14:30
Conil - Livin' on the edge
Great Hare Records, out now.
In a nutshell…
Soulful, earthy late-night folk.
What's it all about?
Strange Part Of The Country is the debut album from London four-piece Conil, a weathered bunch of troubadours led by singer/songwriter Conil and assisted by double bass legend and former Nick Drake collaborator Danny Thompson.
Touching on the folksy grace of Drake, the hard drinkin', hard thinkin' blues of Tom Waits and even some Seattle-tinged indie rock, Conil create a rasping, sometimes ramshackle mixture of foot-stomping bar room sing-songs and wistful torch songs.
Opening track Dog Meat Stew sets a raw, careening pace that would not be out of place in a Mark Lanegan or even Pearl Jam set, yet the title track's chorus soars against Doves-like layers of harmony.
Round Midnight is a rambling jam that conjures up John Martyn holding court in the last honky tonk in town, while Old Irish Drunks sounds like the broken-hearted lament sang on the long walk home down "the streets of Kilburn".
Who's it by?
Short on name, long on soul frontman Conil and his (not so) merry men. After recording the songs, the band sent them to Tchad Blake, who has previously worked with the aforementioned Pearl Jam and Tom Waits - and it shows.
As an example...
Take your pick, the lyrics are dripping with world-weary, one-for-the-road storytelling but: "And if I'm not home before midnight, I'll be staying here with this whiskey and these songs, they can’t do me no wrong" from Round Midnight seems to sum it up nicely.
Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys
Only if there's an open bar. Although the critics have been queuing up to praise the album and declare that if there's any justice, Conil will be huge, their fans will probably prefer it to remain a cult gem that they don't have to share with an arena crowd.
What the others say
"This guy will be big, so go and see him before." - MUSIC NEWS 5
"Brilliant, streets ahead... " - XFM
"Very cool music." - BBC 6Music
"A work of genius!" - Xtreme AM
So is it any good?
It sounds like it was recorded in a saloon, the band sometimes sound like they've just fallen out of bed and Conil himself possesses a voice that at times resembles a man who lives on a strict diet of whiskey and gravel - in short, great stuff.
Wearing their influences - and indeed heart - on their sleeve, Conil deserve the critical acclaim for their eclecticism and raw soul, but don't expect them to be bumping the likes of Coldplay from the stadium circuit just yet.
From the dreamy folk of After The Hole to the airy Kitty's Wake and the shuffling A Waterfall Is A Poem Pouring Through A Rock, Strange Part Of The Country cuts its own path in a world of identikit indie herberts.
This is an album and a band perhaps best enjoyed in your own strange part of the country - and here's to it.
8/10
Andy Jowett
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